Electrical ship-log apparatus.



T. F. 6: T. S. WALKER.

ELEOTRIGAL SHIP LOG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1910.

Patented Nov. 7, 1911.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPN C0,. WASHINGTON. h. t.

T. F. 61: T. S. WALKER.

ELECTRICAL SHIP LOG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1910.

Patented Nov. 7, 1911.

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ELECTRICAL SHIP LOG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1910.

Patented Nov. 7, 1911.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS FERDINAND WALKER AND THOMAS SYDNEY WALKER, 0F BIRMINGHAM,ENGLAND.

ELECTRICAL SHIP-LOG- APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7, 1911.

Application filed November 25, 1910. Serial No. 594,197.

.apparatus and the invention relates more particularly to the electricalmake and break contact-controlling mechanism employed therein.

It has been found in practice that the regulation of the duration ofeach period of contact is both desirable and important as a means ofovercoming the irregularities which sometimes occur in the indicating orregistering apparatus controlled thereby.

In View of the sudden and variable oscil lations to which log indicatingor registering apparatus are frequently subjected and the consequenttendency to chattering contact and multiplication of impulses resultingtherefrom, it is important that the action of closing and opening thecircuit should take place with rapidity.

On the other hand too brief a period of contact is disadvantageous onaccount of the liability of the indicating or registering apparatus toreceive too feeble an impulse to be of any reliable effect.

In order therefore to obviate the above mentioned disadvantages and torender the apparatus capable of producing uniform results it isdesirable to adopt some means whereby to regulate the duration of eachperiod of contact so that regular indications or registrations may beobtained irrespective of the disturbances to which, through any of theusual causes, the appa ratus may be subjected.

To this end the present invention provides means for positivelyregulating the duration of each period during which the electricalcircuit is closed whereby electrical impulses of the correct strength tooperate the indicating or registering mechanism with certainty areobtained.

According to this invention the make and break contact mechanism is soconstructed and arranged that the member serva capacity suflicient toproperly actuate the indicating or registering apparatus. In one form ofthe invention part of the mechanism employed is of substantially knownconstruction and as described in our United States Letters Patent No.720508, dated February 10th, 1903, that is to say the rotary movement ofthe rotator is transmitted to a toothed wheel upon which is mounted abarrel containing a coiled spring one extremity of which is attached tothe spindle of said toothed wheel and the opposite extremity of which isattached to the interior of the spring barrel. The said toothed wheeland spring barrel are mounted free to rotate between a bridge or frameand a plate or base, and upon said bridge or frame a pair of resilientcontact arms suitably insulated therefrom and respectively electricallyconnected to the indicating or registering mechanism are so arrangedthat a circuitclosing member or contact piece mounted on and rotating asone with said spring barrel may alternately and intermittently make andbreak contact therewith whereby to close and open the electric circuit.Upon the periphery of said spring barrel a lug or projection is formed,integral therewith or attached thereto, and a spring-controlled detentnormally presented in the path of rotation of said lug or projection ispivotally mounted upon said plate or base; suit-able means beingprovided for regulating the extent to which said detent normally enterssaid path of rotation. Upon the toothed wheel a stud is disposed whichserves in the course of each rotation of said wheel to withdraw thespring-controlled detent from the path of rotation of the aforesaid lugor projection and which also serves as a stop to limit the extent of theangular movement of the spring barrel when the detent has been tripped.The said spring-controlled detent is formed with two suitably positionedstops, so disposed relatively to each other and to the path of rotationof the said lug or projection that upon the disengagement, by means ofthe stud upon the toothed wheel, of the peripheral lug or projectionfrom the first stop on the detent the spring barrel is moved angularly,under the action of its contained spring, through such a distance aswill bring the contactpiece into the circuit-closing position, when thelug or projection upon the periphery of said spring barrel becomes.arrested by the second stop on the detent and engaged thereby for adetermined period during which the circuit remains closed and anelectrical impulse is transmitted to the indicating or registeringapparatus, after which the second stop on the detent is withdrawn bysaid stud from the path of rotation of said lug or projection andcontact is broken.

Alternatively, instead of the above described construction, the saidspring-controlled detent may be formed with only one stop thereon, whilethe periphery of the spring barrel may be formed with two suitablyseparated lugs or projections, so disposed relatively to each other andto the contact piece, that upon the disengagement, by means of the studupon the toothed wheel, of the detent from the first lug or pro jectionthe spring barrel is moved angularly under the action of its containedspring, through such a distance as will bring the contact piece into thecircuit closing position, when the second lug or projection upon theperiphery of the said spring barrel becomes arrested by the detent andengaged thereby for a determined period during which the circuit remainsclosed and an electrical impulse is transmitted to the indicating orregistering apparatus, after which the detent is withdrawn by said studfrom the path of rotation of said second lug or projection, and contactis broken.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in whichFigures 1 to 4 inclusive show one method of constructing the mechanism.Fig. 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the positionsoccupied by the parts just prior to the closing of the circuit. Figs. 3and 4 are plan views partly in section in which for the sake ofclearness certain portions of the apparatus have been omitted. Fig. 3shows the positions of the parts when the circuit is closed, and Fig. 4shows their positions after the opening of the circuit.

A modified construction is shown in plan View, partly in section, inFigs. 5, 6 and 7, and a second modified construction is shown similarlyin Figs. 8, 9 and 10, parts of the mechanism being omitted for the sakeof clearness. Figs. 5 and 6 show the parts in position when the circuitis open. Figs. 6 and 9 show the circuit closed, and Figs. 7 and 10 showthe circuit just broken.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

The registering mechanism and other parts of the apparatus may be thoseshown or described in our United States Letters Patent No. 720508, datedFebruary 10th, 1903, the revolutions of a rotator in the water beingtransmitted to the contact controlling mechanism by means of a pinion 1projecting through an aperture in the base-plate 2 and engaging atoothed wheel 3 mounted between said base-plate and a bridge 4. Looselymounted upon the spindle of said toothed wheel 3 is a barrel 5 whichcontains a coiled spring 5 whereof one extremity is attached to saidspindle and the opposite extremity is attached to the interior of thebarrel 5. The toothed wheel 3 and spring barrel 5 are mounted free torotate between the base-plate 2 and the bridge 4, and upon said bridge 4a pair of resilient contact arms 6, 6, insulated therefrom by means of aplate 7 of vulcanite or other suitable material and respectivelyconnected electrically by means of binding screws 8, 8, terminals 9, 9,and

leads (not shown) to the indicating or registering apparatus, are soarranged that a segmental circuit-closing member or contact piece 10insulated from and mounted on and rotating as one with said springbarrel 5 may alternately and intermittently make and break contacttherewith whereby to close and open the electric circuit.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. Upon the periphery of said springbarrel 5 a lug or projection 11 is formed, integral there with orattached thereto, and a detent l2 controlled by a spring 13 (see Fig. l)and formed with stops 14, 15, normally presented in the path of rotationof said lug or projection 11 is pivotally mounted between a bridge 16and said base plate 2, a set screw 17 or other adjustable abutment forthe limb 18 of detent 12 being provided for regulating the extent towhich the stops 14, 15, upon the detent 12 are normally presented to thesaid path of rotation. Upon the toothed wheel 3 a stud 19 is disposedwhich serves in the course of each rotation of said wheel 3 to withdrawthe stops 14, 15, upon the spring-controlled detent 12 from the path ofrotation of the aforesaid lug or projection 11 and which stud alsoserves as an abutment to limit the extent of the angular movement of thespring barrel 5 when the stops upon the detent 12 have been tripped.This withdrawal is effected by means of the engagement of said stud 19with a cam surface or cam stud 20 formed upon the detent 12. The stops14, 15, are so disposed relatively to each other and to the path ofrotation of the lug or projection 11 that upon the disengagement of thelug 11 from the first stop 14 the spring barrel 5 is moved angularly,under the action of its contained spring, through such a distance aswill bring the segmental contact piece 10 into the circuit-closingposition, as shown in Fig. 3,

when the lug or projection 11 becomes arrested by the second stop 15 andengaged thereby for a determined period during which the circuit remainsclosed and an electrical impulse is transmitted to the indicating orregistering apparatus, after which the second stop is withdrawn by theaction of the stud 19 from the path of rotation of the lug or projection11 and contact is broken.

'The operation of this form of the apparatus is as follows: Assume themechanism to have been set in operation from rest, the position of theparts being as shown in Fig. 4 and the circuit being open, the rotarymovement of the rotator in the water is transmitted by means of pinion 1to the toothed wheel 3 which is set in motion, in a clockwisedirect-ion. Vheel 3 car ries with it the stud 19 followed by the lug orprojection 11, the front edge 11 of the base 11 of said lug being causedby the action of the spring, contained within barrel 5 to abut againstthe stud 19 until arrested by engagement with the stop 14. The toothedwheel 3 is rotated by pinion 1 carrying stud 19 with it and compressingthe spring connecting the wheel with barrel 5, said stud 19 beingactuated from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 2 sothat practically a revolution of the toothed wheel 3 has been completedwhen the stud 19 first engages the cam stud 20 and, moving the detent 12angularly outward, disengages the stop 14 from the lug or projection 11.Immediately this disengagement occurs the energy stored within thespring barrel 5 asserts itself and the barrel is instantaneously movedangularly, in a clockwise direction causing the segmental contactpiece10 to be thrown under the contact arms 6, 6, as shown in Fig. 3, so asto close the circuit \Vhen released from the stop 14 the lug 11 travelsangularly forward until arrested by the stop 15 upon the detent 12, and,the toothed wheel 8 continues to be rotated by pinion 1 and continues toadvance the stud 19 over the cam stud 20 gradually moving the detent 12farther angularly outward until the stop 15 becomes withdrawn fromengagement with the lug 11. Upon the disengagement or tripping of thelug 11 from the stop 15 the spring barrel 5 is again moved angularly,instantaneously removing the contactpiece 10 from beneath the resilientarms 6, 6, and so opening the circuit, as shown in Fig. 4. The angularadvance of the barrel 5 is more rapid than that of the toothed wheel 603 and the lug 11 consequently overtakes the stud 19 against which latterthe front edge 11 of its base 11 abuts until the lug proper is againengaged by the stop 14. The electrical circuit therefore remains closedfor 65 an appreciable and definite period, namely substantially duringthe time which elapses between the disengagement of the lug 11 from thestops 14 and 15 respectively.

The above cycle of operations continues as long as the rotator remainsin the water.

In the modified construction illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 it will beseen that the detent 12 embraces the spring barrel 5 and that the stop14 is located at the forward extremity of said detent, while the stop 15is formed upon the rearward limb 18. Also, instead of the cam stud, thedetent 12 is formed with a cam surface 20, adapted to be engaged by thestud 19 during its travel. The operation of this modification is verysimilar to that of the previous construction. As the toothed wheel 3 isrotated by the pinion 1 and the stud 19 engages the cam surface 20 thedetent 12 is moved angularly so as to withdraw the stop 14 fromengagement with the lug 11 and at the same time to present the stop 15in the path of rotation of said lug 11. Upon disengagement of the stop14 from lug 11 the contact piece 10 is moved (as before) into positionto close the circuit beneath the arms 6, 6, (see Fig. 6). The circuitremains closed until the stud 19 has ridden over the salient portion ofthe cam surface 20 after which the detent 12 under the action of spring13 is returned to its normal position, releasing the lug 11 from stop 15and breaking the circuit, the barrel 5 moving angularly forward andcarrying with it the contact piece 10 and lug 11, which latter isstopped at the proper point in the manner already described.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show another alternative construction. In this formthe barrel 5 is provided with two peripheral lugs 11, 21, the lug 21being greater in length than the lug 11, and the detent 12 has only onestop, namely the stop 14. Further, while the lug 11 is capable ofserving, when necessary, as an abutment for stud 19, the lug 21 is soarranged that the stud 19 may pass thereunder without contact therewith.The detent- 12 is formed, as before, with a cam surface 20 and with arearward limb 18 for abutting against an adjustable screw 17 Referringto Fig. 8 and assuming the mechanism to be in motion, the stud 19 isabout to engage the cam surface 20. Upon such engagement the detent 12is moved angularly sufficiently to release the lug 11 and to enable thebarrel 5 to rotate rapidly until the longer lug 21 is arrested by stop14. The contact piece 10 is by said rotation of the barrel 5 thrownbeneath the arms 6, 6, so as to close the circuit as shown in Fig. 9.The circuit remains closed whilethe stud 19 continues to ride forwardover the cam surface 20, when, as said stud rides over the salientportion of the cam surface 20 the detent is moved angularly fartheroutward and releases the lug 21 from stop 14. The contained springimmediately further rotates the barrel 5 and removes the contact piece10 from beneath the arms 6, 6, breaking the circuit, the rotation of thebarrel being arrested by con tact of the lug base 11 with stud 19 (Fig.10), and the operation is then repeated so long as the pinion lcontinues to be actuated by the rotator.

By means of the invent-ion a difficulty hitherto frequently experiencedin connection with the manufacture of existing mech anisms may beovercome. For instance, it has heretofore been found troublesome andtedious to so regulate the normal tension of the spring contained in thespring barrel that while the energy exerted by the spring may besuflicient to overcome all frictional resistance due to the pressureexerted by the contact arms upon the contact piece and necessary toinsure proper electrical connection therebetween yet said energy shallnot be of such strength as will cause the contact piece to make andbreak contact with too short an interval for the transmission of anadequate electrical impulse.

An apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention, it will. beobserved, ob viates the necessity for exercising any especial care inadjusting the tension of the spring and by reason of the fact that thecircuit-closing member or contact piece is positively arrest-ed whencontact is made, entirely prevents any liability of the contact piece tomove too rapidly past the contact arms.

5 The electrical energy may be derived from a dry battery or from anyother suitable source of electricity.

What We claim is 2- 1. Contact mechanism for electrical shiplogapparatus, comprising a frame, a pair of contact arms carried by saidframe, continuously rotatable means adapted to receive motion from arotator in the water, an intermittently rotatable member, meansassociated with said continuously rotatable means for operating saidintermittently rotatable member, a circuit-closing contact piece carriedby said intermittently rotatable member, and means controlled by saidcontinuously rotatable means for arresting mechanically and positivelythe travel. of said intermittently rotatable member for a definite andpredetermined period immediately the electrical circuit is closed.

2. Contact mechanism for electrical shiplog' apparatus comprising aframe, a pair of contact arms carried by said frame, continuouslyrotatable means adapted to receive angular motion from a rotator in thewater, an intermittently rotatable member, a circuitclosing contactpiece carried by said intermittently rotatable member and insulatedtherefrom, a resilient connection between said continuously rotatablemeans and said intermittently rotatable member for automaticallyoperating the latter, and means controlled by said continuouslyrotatable means for arresting mechanically and positively the travel ofsaid intermittently rotatable member for a definite and predeterminedperiod immediately the electrical circuit is closed.

3. Contact mechanism for electrical shiplog apparatus comprising, aframe, a pair of contact arms carried by said frame, a spindle, a pinionfast upon said spindle and adapted to receive motion from a rotator inthe water, a continuously rotatable toothed wheel meshing with saidpinion, an intermittently rotatable barrel, a contact piece carried bysaid intermittently rotatable barrel and insulated therefrom, aresilient connection between said continuously rotatable toothed wheeland said intermittently rotatable barrel for automatically operating thelatter, a lug upon the periphery of said intermittently rotatablebarrel, and means controlled by said continuously rotatable toothedmember to engage said lug whereby to arrest said intermittentlyrotatable barrel for a definite and determined period immediately theelectrical circuit is closed.

4. Contact mechanism for electrical shiplog apparatus comprising, aframe, a pair of contact arms carried by said frame, a spindle, a pinionfast upon said spindle and adapted to receive motion from a rotator inthe water, a continuously rotatable toothed wheel meshing with saidpinion, an intermittently rotatable barrel, a contact piece carried bysaid intermittently rotatable barrel and insulated therefrom, aresilient connection between said continuously rotatable toothed wheeland said intermittently rotatable barrel for automatically operating thelatter, a lug upon the periphery of said intermittently rotatablebarrel, a stud upon said continuously rotatable toothed wheel, and meanscontrolled by said stud to engage said lug whereby to arrest saidintermittently rotatable barrel for a definite and determined periodimmediately the electrical circuit is closed.

5. Contact mechanism for electrical shiplog apparatus comprising, aframe, a pair of contact arms carried by said frame, a spindle, a pinionfast upon said spindle and adapted to receive motion from a rotator inthe water, a continuously rotatable toothed wheel meshing with saidpinion, an intermittently rotatable barrel, a contact piece carried bysaid intermittently rotatable barrel and insulated therefrom, aresilient connection between said continuously rotatable toothed wheeland said intermittently rotatable barrel, a lug upon the periphery ofsaid intermittently rotatable barrel for automatically operating thelatter, a stud upon said continuously rotatable toothed wheel, aspringcontrolled arm controlled by said stud and mounted upon said frameadjacent to the periphery of said intermittently rotatable barrel, andmeans mounted on said spring controlled arm to engage said lug wherebyto arrest said intermittently rotatable barrel for a definite anddetermined period immediately the electrical circuit is closed.

6. Contact mechanism for electrical shiplog apparatus comprising, aframe, a pair of contact arms carried by said frame, a spindle, a pinionfast upon said spindle and adapted to receive motion from a rotator inthe water, a continuously rotatable toothed wheel meshing with saidpinion, an intermittently rotatable barrel, a contact piece carried bysaid intermittently rotatable barrel and insulated therefrom, aresilient connection between said continuously rotatable toothed wheeland said intermittently rotatable barrel for automatically operating thelatter, a lug upon the periphery of said intermittently rotatablebarrel, a stud upon said continuously rotatable toothed wheel, a springcontrolled arm controlled by said stud and mounted upon said frameadjacent to the periphery of said intermittently rotatable barrel, aprojection on said springcontrolled arm for engagement by said stud, andmeans mounted upon said spring controlled arm to engage said lug wherebyto arrest said intermittently rotatable barrel for a definite anddetermined period immediately the electrical circuit is closed.

7. Contact mechanism for electrical shiplog apparatus comprising, aframe, a pair of contact arms carried by said frame, a spindle, a pinionfast upon said spindle and adapted to receive motion from a rotator inthe water, a continuously rotatable toothed wheel meshing with saidpinion, an intermittently rotatable barrel, a contact piece carried bysaid intermittently rotatable barrel and insulated therefrom, aresilient connection between said continuously rotatable toothed wheeland said intermittently rotatable barrel for automatically operating thelatter, a lug upon the periphery of said intermittently rotatablebarrel, a stud upon said continuously rotatable toothed wheel, a springcontrolled arm controlled by said stud and mounted upon said frameadjacent to the periphery of said intermittently rotatable barrel, aprojection on said spring controlled arm for engagement by said stud,and a pair of stops on said spring-controlled arm to successively engagesaid lug whereby to arrest said intermittently rotatable barrel for adefinite and determined period immediately the electrical circuit isclosed.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

THOMAS FERDINAND WALKER. THOMAS SYDNEY WALKER. WVitnesses:

ERNEST HARPER, ETHEL M. WEBB.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents; Washington, D. G.

